Chris Wilder stated that his Sheffield United team was “mugged” by Coventry City’s Norman Bassette, who collided with Anel Ahmedhodzic. This led to a reaction from the defender, resulting in a red card for violent conduct.
The incident took place late in the first half after multiple encounters between the two players in a tense match at the CBS Arena. Bassette netted the first of two Sky Blues equalizers, as the home team fought back to secure a draw against the promotion favorites, thanks to a late header from Bobby Thomas.
“We tried to hold on, but we need to be more disciplined considering some of the incidents that occurred. I have no problem with the red card or the referee’s decision,” Wilder said in his post-match review of the 2-2 draw.
“Anel fell for the three-card trick, which put even more pressure on us in a tight game when we were down to ten men against a strong footballing side,” Wilder explained.
When asked about what sparked his player’s reaction, he said: “I think it started from the beginning. The boy (Bassette) went down twice in the box after being out-muscled. I didn’t think there was anything to it, but he went down easily.
“Then there was an incident where he tried to leave his elbow on Anel’s back, which everyone saw. When Anel went down, the boy reacted… Not enough to justify Anel’s reaction, of course, and I’m not condoning that. He’ll miss three games, and he’s a key player for us.”
Wilder continued: “Then there were a few more little incidents where he touched Anel again. I’m not trying to defend him, but Anel reacted by going for his neck, not his face. Meanwhile, the boy’s holding his face. So he did what he needed to do for his team. I wouldn’t be too happy if the roles were reversed. I’m not sure we’ve had any incidents like that during my time here.
“That’s what Championship football is all about. It might be a different league, but it’s still a heated environment with passionate supporters, so we’ve really been mugged by him. However, Anel should know better.
“If someone pushes me in the neck, maybe I wouldn’t go down. I understand why he might react that way, but if someone pushes me in the neck, I’m certainly not holding my face and rolling around for five minutes.”
